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HTC Touch coming to US Cellular
Not only is good ol' US Cellular just now getting around to releasing the over year-old HTC Touch as its successor starts to hit the market, but it'll be doing so in a most unusual of colors: green. Oh, and it's not wasabi green, either -- more like a calming shade of forest, hunter, or myrtle. We don't know exactly when this sucker's going to hit, but dummies (pictured) are starting to show up in stores, so we suppose it won't be long.[Thanks, uscc agent]Update: Okay, so apparently the launch units are actually black, but does this dummy not look totally green? Probably just as well, since we can't think of anyone who'd take a forest green Touch over a black one.
Vodafone UK expects Touch Pro this month
So when exactly is the Touch Pro launching? Unless you're in the UK, we can't answer that with terribly high certainty -- but yeah, you Brits now have a target window to start saving for. Vodafone's online business shop says that HTC's mightiest QWERTY handset is "expected" in August, and while we admit that they could simply be airing out their wishful thinking on their product pages, it'd be awfully poor form to do so. Instead, we suspect HTC and Voda are on the hotline with one another here, and we'd give the window some weight. Now, if any other carriers would care to chime in with their own windows -- preferably in August -- we wouldn't try to stop you.[Via CoolSmartPhone]
Best Buy, Radio Shack gearing up for Touch Diamond launch on Sprint?
It seems that Sprint's letting the cat out of the bag on its upcoming Touch successor -- within its trusted circle of retailers, anyway. We've now received some juicy morsels of information suggesting that both Best Buy and Radio Shack have been told to expect shipments of the MP6950 Touch Diamond in the next few weeks, with the big blue box tentatively expecting stock on August 17 (we think they're fooling themselves there, but it'd be nice) and the Shack expecting a more realistic-sounding September 2 launch. Along with the Touch Pro, the Touch Diamond should go a long way toward revitalizing Sprint's smartphone lineup at a time when the carrier can pretty much use every little bit of help it can get. In fact, we think we'll hook this up to a SERO plan and... ah, wait, never mind.[Thanks, anonymous tipsters]
Diamond TF3D Config adds the TouchFLO 3D configurability HTC forgot
As slick as TouchFLO 3D looks on the Touch Diamond (especially on that VGA display), users don't have much capability to fiddle with the way it looks and acts out of the box, and for the anal among us, that can be a huge hassle. A member of German forum PPC-Welt is doing what he can to ease the pain, though, releasing a "Diamond TF3D Config" utility for changing the order and visibility of tabs and modifying the way the date is displayed on the home screen. Not a huge deal by any means, but it's a step in the right direction -- and let's be honest, it's something dead simple that HTC should've had the forethought to include up front.[Via the::unwired]
HTC Touch Diamond hands-on, up close and personal this time
The good folks at HTC left this little gem (pun totally intended) on our doorstep today, but as cool as it sounds to have one of the world's great Windows Mobile torchbearers just drop off its hottest new handset to us like it's an extra large pepperoni and mushroom, it's a bittersweet gift at best. Why? The Touch Diamond lacks both HSDPA 850 / 1900 and GSM 850 in its current incarnation, leaving it to cling to what 1900MHz EDGE towers it can find. That makes it an untouchable product for all but the hardest-core North Americans who are willing to throw both high-speed data and maximum signal coverage out of the window just to be able to put the pinnacle of WinMo 6.1 engineering in their pocket. Are you in that one percent? Or perhaps even better, are you in Europe where the usable 3G flows like running water? Click through to Engadget Mobile's hands-on to get the lowdown!
HTC Touch Diamond boot video, for your eyes only
For those of you who absolutely, positively can't wait to see more of the Touch Diamond in action, the folks over at pocketnow are giving you a taste of what it's like to hold one in your hands. Apparently, when you boot up the phone you're greeted with a helpful video showing you how to navigate the heavily-skinned version of Windows Mobile (AKA Touch Flo 3D) that it sports. Needless to say, it's smoother than a baby's bottom. Not that we'd know. Video after the break in its full 640 x 480 resolution.
The HTC Touch Pro
Call it Raphael no longer! HTC has officially thrown the cover off its Touch Pro today -- the QWERTY slider sibling of the recently-unveiled Touch Diamond -- which should cover the bases for those who loved the Diamond's keen looks but decided they'd go our of their gourds without a full set of physical keys at their disposal. Under that glossy black shell lies WiFi, HSPA with a solid 7.2Mbps on the downstream, Bluetooth, 2.8-inch VGA display, Windows Mobile 6.1 featuring HTC's TouchFLO 3D interface, a 3.2 megapixel camera, a half gig of ROM, and 288MB of RAM. It's not going to win any "world's thinnest" records with an 18.05mm waistline, but those five rows of textual healing don't come without a price. The first batch of devices will be Europe-bound in "late summer" with 900 / 2100MHz 3G alongside the quadband GSM and EDGE; North and Latin American versions are promised for later in the year.%Gallery-24315%
HTC Touch Dual launching in the US this weekend courtesy of Best Buy
At first, we were all stoked at the realization that it took HTC shy of two months to go from announcement to availability of its US-flavored Touch Dual, but then we had this wet blanket thrown on us when we reflected on the fact that it's been like six months since the European model was first shown. No bother -- at least the US model will be among the very first devices anywhere to ship with Windows Mobile 6.1 out of the box, which is kinda cool. Best Buy will be offering the phone starting this weekend for $549.99 unlocked, available on its website or directly from "select" Best Buy Mobile locations around the country, so try not to let those visions of Diamonds distract you too much while you're whipping out the credit card.
HTC boldly predicts 2M Touch Diamond sales this year
Actually, maybe it's not such a bold prediction after all. HTC's saying it's going to push at least 2 million of its just-announced Touch Diamonds out of the factory and into buyers' hands this year, and when you consider that the original Touch hit a million in five months and two million in not much more than that, it seems like a pretty reasonable prediction. Granted, those Touch numbers included all of the Touch variants sold up until that point, but the Touch Diamond will be a global franchise as well, not to mention HTC's flagship WinMo device for the remainder of 2008 in all likelihood. Add all the GSM and CDMA versions sold all around the world, maybe add in the QWERTY Raphael, and boom, you've got at least 2 million there, we'd wager.[Via Engadget Spanish and IntoMobile]
Alltel does the Touch in burgundy
The Touch has always seemed like a device that deserves a whole rainbow to itself, but for whatever reason, its many colors have been hard to find in one place. Alltel's breaking out of the mold, though, becoming just the first carrier in the US to offer multiple Touch shades in its lineup by adding burgundy to the original gray. It runs $129.99 after rebate on contract -- the same price as gray, thankfully, so go ahead and throw away those worries about paying a color premium.[Thanks, Matt S.]
HTC's Raphael and Diamond: coming to Sprint and looking good
No one really knows whether HTC's May 6 gathering will usher in the age of Android (our guess is still "no"), but let's look a little beyond that, shall we? We've just laid eyes on a handful of documents detailing HTC's efforts to ready the Diamond and Raphael models -- already known to be valid HTC codenames -- for Sprint later this year, and things are definitely looking up in the post-Touch world. The Diamond turns out to be the successor to that very device, lacking a physical keyboard and relying almost exclusively on a large, glossy touchscreen for user input; the Raphael meanwhile (pictured) features a full QWERTY deal and is destined to replace the Mogul. The paperwork's pretty blurry, but it appears that both Windows Mobile devices will feature WiFi, 3 megapixel cameras, and -- get this -- VGA displays. Goodness! The Raphael is currently lined up to be the first out of the gate, hitting the streets in September if everything goes well, with the Diamond following on in November. Surprised that these devices are CDMA-based and Sprint bound? Us too, we admit -- but we'd be shocked if there weren't GSM twins of both of these hotties getting cooked in the lab at the same time.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]%Gallery-21297%
Yet another HTC Neon hits the FCC -- this time with US 3G
Okay, so we know of at least two HTC devices codenamed "Neon" that the friendly bureaucrats up in the FCC have been forced to go through with a fine-tooth comb. Now we have a third -- the descriptively-named NEON300 -- and this might be the money version. As we've pointed out before, the Neon series appears to represent a line of Touches with different guts for different carriers and locales, and the NEON300 possesses something that's music to the ears of the yanks in the audience: HSDPA on the 850 and 1900MHz bands. Along with the recently-announced US Touch Dual, this should be quite a gem in, say, AT&T's lineup -- and with Sprint and Verizon both rocking the same device, can they really afford to turn the other cheek?Update: Pictures of the unit being poked and prodded can be found deep within the test documentation, and sadly, it turns out this is nothing more than the US Touch Dual after all. But come on HTC, seriously, you know you want to make a straight-up Touch with North American HSDPA, too. Thanks, uofmrapper1!
Verizon XV6900 finally available for order
Wouldn't you know it? Just as promised, that strikingly white XV6900 has landed on Verizon Wireless' website and can be snapped up now by those in need. The pain? $249.99 on contract after all applicable rebates -- oh, and knowing the Touch Dual is heading Stateside later this quarter.
Verizon XV6900 available April 16
We've just received word that the blindingly white XV6900, Verizon's rendition of the HTC Touch theme, will be available online on April 16 with in-store stock following on come April 30. That's a considerably healthier turnaround time from first rumor to availability than the XV6800, we've got to say -- and hopefully, it's a trend Verizon (and all carriers, for that matter) will be able to stick to. Contract-signers will be able to get their TouchFLO on for a nominal fee of $249.99 after $50 rebate.
Eyes-on with the Verizon XV6900 and HTC Touch Dual
A quick visit to HTC's CTIA outpost yielded dividends in the form of two little gems announced this week: the American version of the HTC Touch Dual and the Verizon XV6900, a bleached Touch with a Verizon logo slapped in place of the Sprint one. Both of these phones are rehashes of existing products, and there's really very little to say about them -- other than a heartfelt "yippee," we suppose, seeing how they're both intended for 3G in North American markets. We really enjoyed the appearance of the XV6900 -- white's definitely a color that suits it well, and while the bright shell's probably going to keep it out of the office, we think Verizon might have a consumer-market smartphone winner on its hands. You know the drill: click on!%Gallery-19634%
HTC's WinMo 6.1 "Manilla" interface gets pictured
No sooner does Microsoft make Windows Mobile 6.1 really official than we see a slew of screenshots to put that build to shame. The so-called "Manilla" is touted as a customized interface that lies on top of the standard WinMo 6.1 Professional OS, and what you see above purportedly came from a "cooked X7150 ROM with the Manilla aspect thrown in from an unreleased VGA device HTC is working on." For what it's worth, it's also noted that Manilla and TouchFLO 2.0 aren't one in the same, and just in case you aren't totally in love already, tap that read link to witness a gallery full of eye candy.
HTC's Touch Dual makes US debut at CTIA
Brace yourself, US-based Touch Dual lovers -- the handset that your Japanese / European friends have been taunting you with for months is finally making the trip stateside. Slated to launch "later this quarter" (at Best Buy initially, of all places), the US Touch Dual will come rocking Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, TouchFLO, Office Mobile, Live HTC Home, a 2-megapixel camera, quad-band GSM support and HSDPA connectivity. Sadly, HTC didn't give us the pleasure of knowing a price, but we'll be keeping an ear to the ground for more exact details surrounding the release.
Verizon surprises no one with XV6900, Motorola Q9c, and LG enV(2)
Well, here are three that we didn't see coming or anything -- Verizon has officially announced the Motorola Q9c, LG enV(2), and HTC-sourced XV6900 today, all for April availability. The Moto Q9c is a more business-savvy version of the consumer-focused Q9m that was launched on Verizon late last year, with the carrier playing up the new model's VZ Navigator support, Windows Mobile 6 Standard load (yippee?), and -- unfortunately for those whose companies distrust photography -- a 1.3 megapixel camera. This one will launch for $249.99 after rebate on a two-year plan.Next up we have the enV(2) -- a phone we mistakenly identified previously as the enV2 because we just never could've seen those bonus parenthesis coming -- which succeeds the wildly popular enV and injects a fresh dose of industrial design. Features include a 2 megapixel cam, 2.4 inch internal display accompanied by a smaller screen up front that's just big enough for doing calling duty, microSD slot, and the flip-up QWERTY keyboard the enV series is famous for. It'll run $129.99 after rebate on contract when it launches next month.Finally, the XV6900 brings Verizon in line with Sprint's Touch, though in a far paler shade. It features the full host of Windows Mobile 6 Professional goodies alongside a 2 megapixel camera, microSD slot, 256MB of ROM, 128MB of RAM, Bluetooth, and HTC's TouchFLO interface. Like the others, it's slated for April availability and will run $349.99 on contract after $50 rebate.Read - Motorola Q9cRead - LG enV(2)Read - Verizon XV6900
Hands-on with the HTC Touch Dual
As sexy as the idea of a keypadless, pebble-shaped device with a full-face touchscreen may be, for some, there's simply no replacement for the real thing. A real, physical keypad continues to be a necessity for some folks, and for as much popularity as devices like the Touch and iPhone have garnered, old-fashioned keys really aren't going anywhere any time soon. HTC recognized this pretty quickly and followed up the Touch with the Touch Dual, a phone that carries over most of the original device's high points while adding in 3G data and, perhaps even more notably, a keypad that tucks neatly away when it's not needed.Thanks to the good folks at Wireless Imports for the hookup!%Gallery-17444%
HTC TouchFLO 2 "Manila" leaks out, are you brave enough to install it?
Alright, HTC Touch owners -- who's going to take the hit and install this leaked build of TouchFLO 2.0 that's been spreading around under the codename Manila? From the screenshots, it looks like it does a better job of taking over from the standard WinMo interface, but it still retains the reskinned-launcher relationship with the OS that we find slightly awkward. Still, we're curious -- who's got the stones to give it a shot?[Via The Unwired]